Community nonprofits celebrate finalized removal of dam

November 15, 2017

EAST BURKE, Vt. (AP) — An old dam in Vermont has finally been removed after years of preparation, and residents of East Burke plan to celebrate the occasion.

Officials say the project was 17 years in the making, with the nonprofit Connecticut River Conservancy receiving a state grant recently to help finance the Passumpsic River East Branch dam’s removal. The Caledonian-Record reports the funding is geared toward re-establishing the natural conditions of the watershed in order to protect Vermont’s water quality and to restore the river’s flow.

The organizing nonprofits Passumpsic River Valley Trust and the CRC have organized a Saturday celebration for the accomplishment of closing the dam, and toasting the opening of the newly opened river.